A video recording of the incident shows the assailants accosting and assaulting the priest after he declined to help recruit volunteers for their "army" and provide monetary support. They berated the priest for his alleged lack of knowledge about Hindu tradition and their group's identity.
Published Feb 09, 2025 | 10:11 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 09, 2025 | 10:11 PM
A far-right outfit attacked Chilkur Balaji Temple priest Rangarajan, demanding his support for a 'Rama Rajyam'
Synopsis: A far-right Hindutva group assaulted Ranganathan, the head priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple in Telangana, after he refused to help recruit volunteers for their ‘army’ and provide monetary support for their operations. The group, calling itself ‘Rama Rajyam’ and claiming descent from the mythical Ikshwaku clan, berated and attacked the priest at his residence while demanding he abandon his duties to help establish their version of ‘Ram Rajya’ by the Hindu new year.
Members of a Hindu extremist group attacked the head priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple in Moinabad, Telangana, on 7 February, after he refused to support their recruitment and fundraising efforts.
The incident occurred when members of ‘Rama Rajyam’, a far-right outfit claiming descent from the mythical Ikshwaku clan, visited Ranganathan’s residence.
A video recording of the incident shows the assailants accosting and assaulting the priest after he declined to help recruit volunteers for their “army” and provide monetary support. They berated the priest for his alleged lack of knowledge about Hindu tradition and their group’s identity.
“They seriously manhandled my son Shri Rangarajan, who is also Archaka of Shri Chilkur Balaji Deity. They landed blows on him in our house,” said Soundarajan, Ranganathan’s father, in a press note.
#Telangana: The head priest of the Chilkur Balaji Temple was attacked on 7 February by a group called #RamaRajya claiming to be the descendants of the Ikshwaku clan.
The group aiming to establish their own version of a ‘Rama Rajya,’ attacked the priest for refusing to associate… pic.twitter.com/oVVSNklxgw
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) February 9, 2025
The Moinabad police have since arrested the outfit’s leader, Veera Raghava Reddy. “This is not the first case against the accused. He was earlier booked in a case for obstructing the duties of a government official and for harassing a woman before that,” police told South First.
The group demanded Ranganathan abandon his current duties to focus on establishing their version of ‘Rama Rajya’ by Ugadi, the upcoming Hindu new year.
The organisation advocates an extremist vision of “re-establishing” Ram Rajya, the kingdom of the Hindu epic Ramayana’s protagonist.
Their manifesto claims the police and ‘Injustice idols’ – referring to the judiciary – are inspired by Kali, the Hindu goddess associated with time, death and destruction.
“The current Criminal Justice systems in the establishment are evil-disciplined and are only defending the wealthy criminals and no dharma is seen in the process,” states their booklet.
The group envisions a separate citizenry, army and legal team. Their website features videos promoting caste supremacy, declaring Ikshwakus as world owners through interpretations of the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita. They threaten to conduct ‘citizens’ arrests’ of judges who don’t ‘change their ways’.
Their stated objectives include punishing evil, protecting cows, reclaiming lands they attribute to Ikshwaku and Bharata clans, recovering temple properties, and repossessing lands they claim belong to six Hindu sects.
Police are investigating the full scope of the group’s activities.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
